Jiraffe

I went to jiRaffe twice during my 2 week trip. Both times were quite excellent. Prompt and friendly service, and the hostess called me by name on my second trip. I had the Jidori chicken on the first trip and trout on the second - both excellent. Featured soup on week 2 was tomato and it was exquisite! I also enjoyed the small eggplant appetizer, complements of the chef during my second visit.

For restaurants in the area, the menu and wine were all reasonably priced - esp. in light of some of the nearby more expensive places.

The lemon souffle with blackberry sauce and sorbet were melt-in-your-mouth delicious - so good I had it both times.

Will be back on subsequent trips - great atmosphere and great wine list as well, I had a wonderful St. Julien bordeux (left bank) that I highly recommend as well.

Lisa and I went to Jiraffe, a seafood restaurant in Santa Monica near the 3rd St. promenade, mainly because we were left unsatisfied with our experience at the nearby Ocean Ave. Seafood. Jiraffe is definitely better, but the fish still seemed to lack that succulent flavor I was craving.

I selected the "loup de mar" special for my entree - a Mediterranean whitefish wrapped with pancetta. It was expertly prepared and served in an impressive dish/pot filled with white wine sauce, mushrooms, tomatoes, and clams. The fish itself, while fresh, seemed a bit lacking in flavor, and the quantities were so massive that pretty soon each bite tasted the same. Even the pancetta seemed to lack that salty, crispy flavor I was looking for.

Overall, however, the quality of the food seemed pretty high, and I think that I might have just selected a hit or miss special. The mushroom appetizer was delicious and the bread was also quite good (although the butter was hard - I hate that).

This place also gets bonus points because the owner/chef used to be a professional surfer. There are awesome surf photos all over the bathroom/hallway walls. I'd probably come back, but, given the price, would want to try something with a little more of a guaranteed "wow" factor.